From the Monterey Bay down to Hearst Castle, California's central coast has been enchanting visitors for decades. Warning: you may never go home again.

When you're ready to hit the hay, Casa Munras(rooms from $147 a night), is a hacienda-style hotel about two miles from Fisherman's Wharf with friendly staff who are always happy to make recommendations and aquarium and restaurant reservations for you.

Big Sur

As you head south toward Big Sur, make sure to set aside a few hours for the iconic Pebble Beach 17-Mile Drive($10 per car) before departing the Monterey peninsula. Sure, you’ve seen these sights on postcards for forever, and it’s a $10 toll road through a gated community, including the toney Pebble Beach Resort. But you’ll get a kick out of seeing how the other 1 percent live, and I promise you’ll soon quit your bellyaching (I always do) as you meander through fog-shrouded pine forests, along the rocky shore, and get to ogle the world-famous Lone Cypress. There are five entry points to the drive, one along Highway 1, and you’ll be given a map upon entry. You can easily spend a few hours stopping along the drive, but be sure to exit near Carmel, where you’ll continue south on the 1 toward Big Sur.

Where exactly is Big Sur? Appropriately enough for an area that has inspired poets, philosophers, and dreamers for decades (including, most famously, writer Henry Miller), there is no official definition of Big Sur (translated from Spanish as “the Big South”). Very broadly, it can refer to the coastal region of California between Carmel and San Simeon and west of the Santa Lucia mountains. When I’m in a particularly woo-woo mood, I say, “The Big Sur you trace on a map is less important than the Big Sur you take home in your heart.”

The best advice I can give you for exploring Big Sur is to keep your eyes open as you head down the 1, cross the Carmel River, and navigate the twists and turns as the highway hugs the Pacific shore. The ocean looms to your right, impossibly big and bright on a sunny day and a moody, misty gray at other times. There are ample places to pull off for a scenic overlook, but when you pull off, please don’t obsess too much about capturing the cliff-side panoramas with a camera—even professionals have a tough time doing the scene justice! It’s more important to capture the faces of the people you love as they see this place for the first time.

Amid your meandering, you must stop at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park($10 per car), right off the highway 26 miles south of Carmel. Here, trails through redwood groves, pines, and hardwoods like sycamores and cottonwoods take you up into the mountains at an easy, family-friendly grade, with views of the Big Sur River as it winds down the mountains to the ocean.

My favorite is the Valley View Trail (turn left at the stop sign after the entry booth, then head to the right, uphill, to the trailhead and parking lot), which crosses two bridges and leads you to a viewing platform where you can savor the dramatic Pfeiffer Falls. After your hike, you can hit the highway again in search of more dramatic ocean views, or you can collapse into a comfy bed at the Big Sur Lodge(rooms from $189 a night), right inside the state park. Book several months or more in advance, as demand is high, especially in summer, and rooms here are a worth-it (slight) splurge—especially if you are able to nab one with a fireplace. After a day of exploring the cliffs along the ocean and the trails in the mountains, there’s nothing like warming your bones in front of a fire when the evening fog creeps in.

Dining at the Big Sur Lodge is excellent and the staff always makes you feel welcome. (Menu items include favorites like Wild Salmon with Ravioli, and the wine list is everything you’d expect from a first-rate California cellar.) But if you’re in the mood for something new, try out New Orleans chef Matt Glazer’s Big Sur Roadhouse(poached local catch, topped with Dungeness crab, $28), just a five-minute drive up Highway 1 from Pfeiffer State Park, at Glen Oaks resort, where you can explore Glazer’s imaginative Cajun-style riffs on classic California cuisine, like the Poached Local Catch, topped with lump Dungeness crab.

San Simeon

The town of San Simeon is less than 70 miles south of Big Sur Lodge on the 1, but reserve at least two hours for the drive—there will be plenty of scenic overlooks, and sometimes traffic can slow down as newbies navigate the switchbacks along the way.

Hearst Castle(Grand Rooms Tour from $25 for adults, $12 for kids ages 5-12) is the knockout estate of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Hearst himself called the joint La Cuesta Encantada (“Enchanted Hill”), and it’s an excellent example of what can be accomplished when rampaging egomania is harnessed to great art and design. Working with renowned architect Julia Morgan, Hearst created 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens and pools to showcase his amazing art collection (including Roman sculptures, Tiffany lamps, and much more). You’ll start with a film, “Building the Dream,” on a five-story screen at the visitor center, then head to the castle, where several guided tours are available. If you don’t have all the time—or the money—in the world, opt for the magnificent Grand Rooms Tour.

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